아라이 하쿠세키와 아메노모리 호슈 - 조선으로부터의 시선 -

Abstract

In contrast to the perception of most modern Japanese diplomats, Amenomori Hōshū is generally thought of as an “honest diplomat” in early modern history. Studies on Amenomori also reflect this personification of the “honest diplomat,” and Amenomori Hōshū’s account in Kourinteisei emboldens this even further. That is, in Kōrinteisei he writes that this honesty is conceived when two parties interact mutually with faith and without deception or aggression. When one country fails to interact with the other, pure honesty fails to materialize. Arai Hakuseki, considered as a rival to Amenomori Hōshū in his role as representative of “amicable relations” between early modern Japan and Korea, came to believe that Amenomori actually interfered with these congenial interactions. Moreover, early modern accounts from Korea praise Arai Hakuseki and levy criticism on Amenomori Hōshū. From a contemporary perspective, however, Amenomori Hōshū’s “honesty” is not seen as something derivative of Machiavellian politics but rather he is seen as an atypical figure in a time when most early modern intellectuals in Japan and Korea portrayed each other with contempt and as barbaric. It becomes even more difficult to comprehend early modern diplomacy when we take into account Amenomori Hōshū, in his role outside of the “nation‐state,” as a symbol of honesty, amity, and equality. In a sense, he was instrumental in concealing the tense and adversarial relationships that had grown between Japan and Korea ever sense Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s invasions in the late 1500s. This article uses primary sources pertaining to Amenomori Hōshū and Arai Hakuseki’s work in diplomacy to examine their role in international relations and to shed light on one part of early modern Japanese and Korean intellectual exchange.